Tansy Mustard, Sofia

Useful properties and applications of descurainia

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Botanical characteristics of descurainia Sofia

Sophia tansy mustard is an annual herb of the cabbage family with direct gustoopushennye stems 15-90 cm Its leaves thrice pinnate lobed, the flowers are pale yellow, collected in small clusters. Tansy mustard blooms in April-may, fruiting in August. The fruits ripen in the form of a thin pods with a large number of dark brown seeds inside. Grass is not very beauty, in addition, has an unpleasant smell.

There is a widespread plant in the European part of Russia, the Caucasus, far East, Western and Eastern Siberia, Central Asia. Prefers alkaline soils, rich in nitrogen, so it can often be found along fences and ravines, near the garbage dumps. In pastures where cattle grazed, tansy mustard, forms thickets. It can eat the camels, but for sheep, the plant is poisonous.

Useful properties of descurainia

This medicinal plant has long been used in folk medicine. Usually used aboveground part of the plant, although in some cases a good effect on the human body have a tincture from the root.

The roots are harvested in August-September – after ripe fruit – drying outdoors under a canopy. The leaves are harvested during the flowering period of plants and also dried in the shade. Dry leaves can be stored in a cardboard box. Seeds are collected after ripening of the pods, they can be cut off with scissors. After drying, grind the pods and seeds through a sieve. The seeds were kept in a glass jar.

The plant has antiseptic, healing, diuretic, astringent, hemostatic, antiemetic, and anthelmintic effects. However, the internal use of this herb, especially the seeds, requires caution, as the poisonous tansy mustard. Its seeds contain up to 1.5 % of the glycoside sinigrin. In addition, all parts of the plant are rich in thioglycoside, cardinalidae, organic acids, coumarins, steroids. In seed lots of mustard oil.

Use descurainia

Infusions of aboveground plant parts, and decoction of root is used for gallstone disease, erysipelas, bronchitis, edema, scarlet fever, measles, malaria, laryngitis and pharyngitis. Decoctions of the leaves will help the patientdiarrhea, hemoptysis, nervous disorders. They can be used for douching with leucorrhoea, for the treatment of boils and festering wounds, rinse the mouth with gingivitis and stomatitis. Fresh leaves – a great healing tool, which can be washed ulcerated tumors and sores.

In the Central Asian republics decoction drink in measles, smallpox, sore throat, high temperature. In the far East, tansy mustard, is a proven remedy for colds and fever. In Tibetan medicine the herb is used for erysipelas. Earlier in the Buryatia Republic, a decoction of the plant was treating anthrax. In Azerbaijan, the extracts from seed and today is used in diseases of the heart, stomach, nausea.

In addition, descurainia seeds are used as expectorant, wound healing, tonic. They help with bronchitis, fever, nervous agitation, cardiac arrhythmias. Ethanolic extract of seeds improves bowel function in atonic constipation.

All the advantages of descurainia difficult to enumerate, in so many ways its impact on various diseases.

Decoction: two tablespoons of crushed leaves pour a glass of boiling water and put on the "water bath". After 30 minutes the finished broth remove from heat, strain and dilute with boiled water to the original volume. Take a decoction after eating 2 tablespoons 3 times a day.

Infusion of seed: in a glass of boiling water, put 4-6 g of comminuted seeds and infused for 1 hour. Ready infusion taken after meals 1-2 tablespoons 3 times a day.

Alcohol tincture of seeds: 30 g of seeds pour 70% alcohol in a ratio of 1:1 and put on 3 weeks in a dark place. Then tincture filter and take daily 15-20 drops once after a meal.

Contraindications to the use of descurainia

Due to the fact that tansy mustard refers to poisonous plants, it is necessary to follow exactly the dosage when taking decoctions and infusions, as well as to store dried roots, leaves and seeds separately from other raw materials. Each pack of grass must be signed. intake of the herb is contraindicated in pyelonephritis and nephritis in the acute stage.